www.freedompress.org.uk 24 MARCH 2007 IDE ►► Special summer preview issue: We interview organisers for Earth First!, the Schnews Alternative Media Gathering, i07 and more. PREPARE YOURSELF cavity around the country is centres will help at least some of these ft;shaping up to be some of the to survive long-term. n rLmost organised seen in the UK for many years. Alongside longstanding Media protests such as the DSEI arms fair With a slew of new regional news- and the GS (to be held this year in sheets, websites and even video Germany) which will have seen months inidatives, anarchist media has of preparation by the time they come progressed markedly recently, around, there is social centre network­ recovering strongly from the dead ing, media training, new organising in zone it had found itself in the run-up education and in community politics ro 2000 with high-traffic websites such and a number o f events such as the as Libcom and Indymedia, and Projectile Film Festival and Anarchist improving standards and distribution Bookfair. volumes for the printed media as a In this special issue we are looking whole. Schnews are proposing the first into some of these evenrs and initiatives major media gathering for years to be to find our more about what we can held in May at the Cowley Club in expect, wnar the motivations of the Brighton. Full details are on page 3. organisers are and what ir is expected Both the London Anarchist Bookfair to achieve. and the Projectile film festival continue ro be centre points for anarchists to Social Centres gather; and Projectile (see below) have die Social centre network has led to a outstanding work coming up. rise in co-operation using online Anarchist . "f methods between different centres, improving with new writing .emerg^n^ with some exciting ideas such as including the monumental Anarchist tonring speakers and meetings across FAQ due later this yean 0 0 the network being mooted. Although the Marc^estookpiad^i the network is sail in its early stages, Events there is more communication happening Although this issue is not focusing on poll between the various centres, old and the major spectaculars of 2007, there peai|efirtdemonstrations' and riot&preadinTTiesyaitonikrai^end new, around the country. area number of camps and ||^ertsv,k^ge^^ moves to try and curb student radicalism in Individual centres, such as-rhe confrontations planned or ongoing this j^k^s^b^tb^b^rnment. Basements in Manchester and Liverpool, year, including against nuclear arms ate among a new wave of both squatted and war machines at Faslane 365 and and reated/owned premises providing Disarm DSEI in September; against Earth First! in July, against the G8 in Participation in class-struggle issues union, struggles, NHS protest support support for anarchist activities, and it climate destruction at this year’s Germany in June and a wide range of also seems to be rising, including across the country and increasingly is hoped support from established climate camp, planned for August, other targets. solidarity work in Manchester with !■*- p a g e 6, column 4 PROJECTILE: THE INTERVIEW DUBLIN BOOKFAIR reedom caught up with a m em ber The cabaret night is definitely a group of individuals, we represent a ■■■he 3rd March saw the second Rossport; and the Justice for Terence pi the collective organising bigger deal this time around-actual fair spread of different takes on I Dublin anarchist bookfair; held Wheelock campaign. Terence F Projectile, the annual anarchist bands, more spoken word and poetry, anarchism as a political philosophy. I at the Teachers’ Club. It was Wheelock died in 2005 after being film festival in Newcastle. and probably some weird art stuff When we put the first Projectile organised by the Workers Solidarity taken into police custody. His family going on as well. Maybe the only together three years ago, it was an Movement and featured all the groups have understandably asked questions Freedom: You've done two previous common factor is getting Dave effort to have a second ‘national’ event represented in Ireland as well as . about how this happened, but have festivals, how do you think this taw Douglass to do & rum, but he doesn’t that, like the London Bookfair; would several from Britain. been attacked by the Gardai for their will compare: need that much encouraging really. bring a (or of people together - but There were stalls from anarchist pains. Projectile member: We had tried to outside of London. There are other groups and bookshop projects, such as The event started with a talk on have iess overlap between winy; and What would you recommend as bookiairs about, so the idea of a the WSM, Just Books and Barracka ‘What sort of Ireland we want', and talks this yea^ but we ended up with potential highlights? cultural event with him at its core Books of Cork, Organise, the there were also historical talks on so many items to fit in that we weren’t The new documentary Sacco a n d ma de sense , Revolutionary Anarcho-Feminisc Syndicalism in Ireland and William as successful with that plan as we had Vanzeui is really excellent, por kicks, Group, Revolt Video and Anarchist Thompson and a presentation of hopedl There are fewer ‘historical’ The Anarchists should keep you The Star and Shadow will he hosting, Prisoner Support, Also present were their work by Organise. The longest Sm s this yean 1 suppose that’s one laughing in between fight sequences, can you tell us a hit about that? Class Wan the AF and Libcom.org discussion was between the WSM, difference, although ir wasn’t it’s ridiculous hut 1 really liked it. The Star and Shadow Cinema is hands from Britain, Perhaps most interesting the Irish Socialist Network and intentional. We’re all really looking forward to down one of the coolest community was a stall of Polish anarchists in eirigi (a community-oriented split seeing There Is hlo Authority But cultural projects even It’s an all- Ireland, and had material in Polish from Sinn Fein) about what sort of Yourself too, as it’s the one him we volunteer cinema that began with the both on anarchism and the rights of Ireland they would like to see. In a havener previewed. four collectives rhar programmed the workers in Ireland. break from the bookfair tradition in Side Cinema, an older alternative That anarchism has enjoyed a England that these two groups also What sort o f background do the venue in: Newcastle, healthy growth there was attested to had stalls. organisers have and how has that What the Star and Shadow folks by the variety and importance of the From discussions with them, the informed putting'Projectile together? have done is rent about half of a large stalls and meetings led by campaign organisers seemed happy with the Vol 63 Jr’s fair to say the one thing wc all warehouse owned by the City of groups* These included Latin numbers, and atmosphere of the event No 06 share is an interest .in him, anarchism, Newcastle and turn it into a great American Solidarity; the campaign and are likely to repeat it next yean and good nights out at the pub ^. a* a ta*- page 6, column 6 against Shell building a gas pipeline at Martin H. 2 Fro 0itT_S' 4 iri"M'ci/&Y20G71 Home and away Another fine mess A new report brought out by Hazards magazine has highlighted the ineffectual nature of levying fines on large corpora­ tions for malpractice, particularly relating Around the world to workplace injury. To date, no executive of any major CHINA; A protest staged by thousands state to close its borders to foreigners (2003-2004) the poverty line for a family They’ve been meeting daily in the UK-based company has ever gone to of rural workers in central China ended coming to join the solidarity struggle. of five was 400,000 toomans, while the Jevangee Gardens Park, Nairobi. On prison for workplace safety offences. in violent clashes early this month, Bom out of the ’80s squatter move­ tens of thousands of adjunct teachers 10th March, police declared their forum Although several firms have received reports say. Several people were injured ment, Ungdomshuset was a rallying were getting by on a monthly salary of an ‘unlawful assembly’, arresting 56 seven-figure fines, such a BP - approx as up to 20,000 people clashed with point for disaffected punk youth in 35.000 to 45,000 toomans for teaching participants and injured five. VsTooth o f their profit margin for last 1,000 police in Hunan province on Denmark and achieved a level of inter­ in the schools. Now, after the passage According ro Koigi wa Wamwere, a year - this has not led to significant Friday, a local official told Reuters national fame through its massive gig of two years, inflation has harnessed member of Parliament in Kenya who is changes in policy in most cases. news agency. space, a regular stop-off for bands on society and the poverty line is no less in solidarity with the people’s parliament, One example cited by H azards was The Boxun Chinese news website, European tours. It also played host to than 600,000 toomans per month. In the government of Kenya has the the Baker Panel Report, which traced said the clash was sparked by rising a vegan kitchen, t-shirt printing, cinema, the meantime, across the country, for intention of permanently closing down systemic safety problems all the way public transport costs.